


Paper Crown

by Ace_From_Outer_Space, Nothing_You_Can_Prove



Series: The Last of Us [5]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us 2 - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Fluff, GAAAAAAAAAAY, loosely based off one of Ellie's teen journal entries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27881549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_From_Outer_Space/pseuds/Ace_From_Outer_Space, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove
Summary: When Ellie and Dina get caught in a snowstorm on the way back from a patrol, they take shelter at an old campsite they visited years ago. They reminisce over old memories... and maybe make some new ones.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Series: The Last of Us [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800034
Kudos: 45





	Paper Crown

**Author's Note:**

> I found myself thinking about Ellie’s diary entries and wanted to use some as inspiration.

Ellie and Dina battled against the unexpected harsh blizzard. They had been caught short on their way back from patrols. Bitter winds lashed against their skin, a thick and constant sheet of snow transforming their surroundings into an indistinguishable white mass.

“Ellie!” Dina called over her shoulder, pointing out the faint outline of a building. “Over there!”

It was the first promise of shelter they had seen since the weather went to shit. Anything was better than staying in this god awful snowstorm. 

“On my way!” Ellie shouted back, struggling to keep track of Dina.

Kicking her heels against Shimmer’s body, she pushed forward. Everything felt cold. She could barely feel her fingers anymore. After what felt like an eternity, they reached the building.

An old campsite. 

It was rundown, most of the cabins were beyond repair, but one of the larger buildings looked mostly intact. They forged ahead, hitching their horses up inside. After checking the coast was clear and exploring, they shrugged off their backpacks and wet jackets. In one of the side rooms, someone had left a duffle bag with some clothes hastily stuffed inside. Too large and they smelled gross, but at least they were dry.

“Fuck,” Ellie rubbed her arms, teeth chattering, “it’s cold out there.”

“Cold in here too,” Dina said, finding an old wood burner in the corner of the room. 

“Yeah, but not ‘I’m going to die’ cold.” Ellie looked out of a nearby window, unable to see anything but white. “Not immediately, anyway.”

Beside the burner sat a small pile of logs; only some were dry enough to use. While Ellie prepared the fire, Dina managed to break down a chair, giving them something else to burn while they waited out the storm. She also found some dog-eared blankets. Offloading the supplies, Dina explored the room they were setting up in. Her fingertips brushed against every surface, leaving marks. She found an old brochure, wiping away a thick layer of dust.

“Huh. Curtis Canyon… I know this place.” Dina’s eyes sparked with childlike joy. “We came here a few years back, remember?”

“Of course I do. It was raining, and you made me a paper crown.” As the fire slowly came to life, Ellie sat down and rubbed her hands together. “And Joel lost his shit when he found out...”

“Oh, yeah. It was a high infected area, wasn’t it?” Dina sat down too, warming her hands. “Oops. Such young rebels.”

“Still are,” Ellie shrugged, staring at the dancing flames, “just not as young anymore.”

“El,” Dina shoved her shoulder, “you make us sound like grandmas.”

Ellie nudged her back. “I mean, we might as well be. Life expectancy isn’t exactly great these days.”

“I think it’s a little higher than nineteen. People like Eugene bump it up.” Dina grinned fondly. “I’m starting to think that old bastard’s going to outlive us all.”

“Probably.” Ellie sighed softly, still able to see her breath. “People like Eugene are few and far between.”

“Touche.”

Ellie tried to ignore how close Dina was by looking out of the nearest window again. Snow pelted against the glass, wind rattling. “Storm's not letting up any time soon, huh.”

“Nope.” Dina glanced outside too, then smiled. “Just be thankful you're here with me and not anyone else.”

“Oh,” Ellie raised an eyebrow, curious to hear her reasoning, “why's that?”

“Isn't it obvious? _I'm_ the most fun.” Dina let her head rest on Ellie’s shoulder. “I just wish I had some of that colored paper from the last time we were here. I stashed some away in one of the cabins we passed earlier but…”

Ellie tensed slightly, very aware of Dina. She didn’t dare to move, barely dared to breathe. “It’s probably really fucking gross.”

“Yeah, oh poor naive little Dina.” Dina chuckled at her past self. “She thought it’d be just fine.”

Ellie shook her head, carefully reaching across to her bag. Dina lifted her head, curious to see what she was doing. When she found her journal, Ellie flipped to the back and tore out some blank pages. 

“Here, if you really want to get creative. It’s not quite as magical as colored paper, I know.”

“It’s Ellie paper, so it’s even better.” Dina took the paper with a grin that made Ellie’s heart ache. “Now, no peeking until it’s done.”

Dina turned away, hunching over so Ellie couldn’t see. Shaking her head, Ellie waited patiently. She felt so much warmer already, and not just because of the fire. If only she could tell Dina that…

Carefully folding the paper, Dina managed to make something that almost resembled a crown… a tiny one, but a crown nonetheless.

“Ta-dah!” She presented it proudly. “I’ll admit, it’s smaller than I wanted but… same meaning.” 

Dina placed the paper crown in Ellie’s hands, smiling. Ellie turned it over. Weird how such a small thing could bring a smile to her face. 

“It’s perfect.” 

“Well, duh, I made it.” Dina laid down on a blanket, getting comfortable. She patted the space beside her. “Not like we’ve got much else to do, right?”

“Sleeping on the job, huh. Whatever would Jesse say?” Ellie asked, hesitantly lying down beside her. 

Dina scoffed loudly. “I say this with the utmost respect… but fuck that.”

Chuckling at the predictable rebel attitude, Ellie let her mind wander. Being with Dina was… pretty damn great. It had been ever since they first became friends. Echoes from the past reverberated in her mind; their first time exploring this campsite.

_“Here. I made you something.” Dina eagerly thrust something towards Ellie. “A crown!”_

_Ellie looked at the folded piece of colored paper. Stuck to the middle was a small piece of paper, cut into the rough shape of a dinosaur. At least, it kind of reminded Ellie of a dinosaur._

_“Is that… a little dinosaur on it?”_

_Dina beamed, nodding. “Would it be anything else?”_

_“Holy shit, that’s…” Ellie smiled to herself, staring at Dina’s present._

_“Fit for a queen,” Dina finished for her. “Pretty great, right?”_

_“It is… but I don’t know if I fit the queen vibes.”_

_Dina frowned. “Why not?”_

_“I dunno.” Ellie shrugged. “In stories Maria told me, they’re kinda… lame? Or, like, super evil.”_

_“Well, we’ll change that, then.” Dina carefully placed the paper crown on Ellie’s head. “You are Ellie, warrior queen of Jackson.”_

_“You know, when you say it like that…” Ellie checked her reflection in a cracked mirror that had fallen off the cabin’s wall. “I like it.”_

_“See,” Dina threw an arm around her shoulder, “I have great ideas.”_

_“What does that make you, court jester?” Ellie asked with a sly smile._

_“Um, rude.” Dina shoved her, pouting playfully._

_Ellie held up her hands. “Kidding.”_

_“Are you though?” Dina asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously._

_“Like… sixty percent kidding.”_

_“You are such a jerk sometimes.”_

_“You love it.” Ellie stared at her broken reflection again. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Dina, who was making stupid faces in the mirror. “You’d be a better queen than me, anyway.”_

_“Then, we’ll both be queens. Ruling over this, uh...” Dina looked around the cabin, an eyebrow raised as she struggled to make it sound fancy._

_“Barren wasteland,” Ellie answered for her._

_“Oh, come on.” Dina shook her head firmly. “Use your imagination. I know you have one.”_

_“Fine…” Ellie closed her eyes, imagining a huge castle on the moon, “we could have a space castle!”_

_“I like how you think.” Dina nodded, repeating her earlier declaration with some adjustments, “Ellie and Dina, Queens of Jackson and space.”_

The old memory gradually faded away, their words and laughter lost to the crackling wood burner. 

“You know, I still want a space castle.”

“Me too.” Dina sighed. “We’ll have to settle for this rundown cabin for now.”

Ellie grinned, gently elbowing her in the ribs. “Not if we use our imagination.”

Dina fixed her with a playfully indignant stare. “Ellie. Are you mocking me?”

“Nope. Not me.” Ellie acted innocent, stifling a grin. “I’d never do that to my best friend in the whole wide world.”

“Oh, you so are.” With an evil cackle, Dina started tickling Ellie. She was relentless, knowing all of Ellie’s weak spots.

“H-hey, knock it off.” Ellie playfully batted her hands away.

There was no escaping Dina’s grasp. “Not until you say I’m the most amazing, smart, charming and beautiful person in Jackson.”

“Okay, okay...” When Dina stopped tickling her, keeping her hands threateningly poised, Ellie took a breath. “You’re the most amazing, smart, charming and beautiful person in Jackson. Happy?”

That was genuinely how Ellie felt about Dina… not that she would ever tell her that without some coercion. It was way too embarrassing. 

“Almost. Now, as my final act of payback…” Dina’s lips brushed against Ellie’s cheek. 

It happened so fast. Too fast. When Dina pulled away, she looked very smug. Ellie had no idea what to say, words caught in her throat.

“Uh, w-what was that for?” Ellie finally stuttered, touching the place where Dina’s lips had been seconds before. 

“I wanted to.”

“Okay, uh…” Ellie's mind went blank, a hesitant smile on her lips. 

Dina had always been the touchy-feely type, the very opposite of Ellie, so Ellie never read too much into it. Dina was just being Dina. Except… this time felt different somehow. Maybe. Probably?

There was a faint flicker of doubt in Dina’s eyes when Ellie stayed quiet. “You're not going to ask me why I wanted to?”

“It’s payback, right?” Ellie tried to justify it, scared of getting her hopes up after all these years. “You said so yourself.”

“Ugh, you are infuriating." Dina rolled her eyes and turned over so all Ellie could see was her back.

It wasn't the first time she'd laid beside Dina like this, they’d had plenty of sleepovers, but it felt different somehow. Dina was acting strange. 

Perhaps Ellie was reading too much into it, but she wanted to make sure. "Fine, I'll bite. Why did you want to?"

Still facing away, Dina muttered under her breath, "Because…"

Ellie smiled, ignoring each loud thump of her heart. "Good reason."

Dina rolled over again, laying on her side. Closer than before. “I do love it when you let me finish my sentences.”

A stray strand of hair fell across Dina’s face. She tried to blow it away, unsuccessful. Without thinking, Ellie reached out to tuck it behind her ear… hesitating when her brain caught up with what she was doing. Before she could pull back, Dina grabbed her hand and gently teased her fingers between Ellie’s. 

“You're always so careful,” Dina said quietly.

“Me and careful?” Ellie cleared her throat, stalling for time. “Are you kidding me? I’m the opposite of careful.”

“Not when you’re with me. Even when you hug me, you're just… it's like you're worried you’ll break me or something.” Dina’s eyes never left Ellie’s, full of hesitance. “And you look at me with such sad eyes sometimes. Like you have so many things to tell me but you’re scared.”

Ellie sighed. She hadn’t been as subtle as she hoped. “I guess that’s because I kind of am scared.”

Dina offered her an earnest look, her voice little more than a whisper. “Then don’t be.”

“It’s not that easy-” Ellie’s words were immediately cut short when Dina’s lips brushed against hers. 

The feeling sent shockwaves through Ellie's body, her brain short-circuiting. All logical thought out of the window, she kissed Dina back. They laid there on a pile of threadbare blankets next to the crackling wood burner as the storm continued to rage. It all faded away in an instant. Background noise. 

The only thing Ellie could focus on was Dina. Her lips. The warmth radiating from her. A slight hum and soft breath. It was surreal. 

Then, reality finally caught up with her. She was kissing Dina. _Dina._ Her best friend. Ellie was kissing her, and Dina was kissing back. She had started it, in fact. Panic flooded her mind. Doubt. 

She pulled back suddenly, taking Dina by surprise. “Shit… I-I shouldn't have done that...”

Dina cupped her face, calming her down a little. “I’m glad you did.”

“Wait, you are?” Ellie asked, not the answer her doubt addled mind had expected.

“Yeah, I am. I was hoping something like this would happen.” Dina’s brow furrowed slightly. “Minus the impenetrable blizzard and freezing our asses off.”

“But…”

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Dina sighed, a faint flush to her cheeks. “I like you, El. I have done for a while and… I’m pretty sure you like me too, right?”

Ellie’s heart fluttered. Those words, she had wanted to hear them for such a long time. It felt like a dream. Maybe it was. “Yeah, I like you, Dina. A lot…”

“Good.” Dina exhaled deeply, gently bumping their foreheads together. “You were starting to worry me there for a second.”

They shared another tender kiss before lying back down on the blanket pile. Dina rested her head on Ellie’s shoulder, getting as close as humanly possible. 

“I kind of don’t want to go back,” Dina whispered. 

“I know the feeling…” Ellie wasn’t sure what would happen when they got back to Jackson, when people eventually found out. She didn’t really care right now, either. “They’ll send search parties if we’re out here too long, though.”

“With Joel leading the charge.” Dina chuckled, letting out a content sigh. “Well, we can stay here until the worst of the storm passes, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t exactly want to go back out there right now.” 

“Wise choice.”

Dina soon fell asleep. Even after the storm blew over, Ellie didn’t have the heart to wake her. She kissed Dina’s forehead, snuggling up closer. 

Another hour wouldn’t hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> Need some more tender gay moments!


End file.
